Player Profiles: Kevin Curren

Kevin Curren

Durban born Kevin Curren is a former professional tennis player. Tall and lanky with a hard, flat serve, Curren played in two Grand Slam singles finals (both on grass courts, his preferred surface), and won four Grand Slam doubles titles - the 1981 US Open mixed doubles and the 1982 Wimbledon mixed doubles and both men’s doubles and mixed doubles at the US Open.

Curren played college tennis for the University of Texas at Austin in the United States and won the NCAA singles title in 1979. He turned professional later that year, and won his first top-level singles title in 1981 in Johannesburg.

In 1983, Curren reached his first Grand Slam semi-final at Wimbledon, losing to unseeded New Zealander Chris Lewis. In 1984, Curren powered his way through the draw and played Mats Wilander in the final of the Australian Open. Wilander eventually won the match, played on the grass courts at Kooyong, in four sets 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 6-2.

In 1985, Curren reached the final at Wimbledon. En route to the final, he comprehensively defeated future six-time Grand Slam winner (and a future two-time Wimbledon champion) Stefan Edberg in the fourth round 7-6, 6-3, 7-6, the then-World No. 1 John McEnroe in the quarter-finals 6-2, 6-2, 6-4, and World No. 3 Jimmy Connors in the semi-finals 6-2, 6-2, 6-1. In the final he lost in four sets to Boris Becker 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4 in a match best remembered for making the 17 year-old Becker the youngest-ever male Grand Slam champion (a record which would later be eclipsed by Michael Chang in 1989 at the French Open).
In another notable match, Curren would also reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in1990, falling to Goran Ivanisevic in five sets 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-3.

In his career, Curren won five top-level singles titles and 26 doubles titles. His career-high world rankings were world number five in singles and world number three in doubles. His career prize-money earnings totalled US$3,055,510. His final career singles title came in 1989 at Frankfurt, and his last doubles title was won in 1992 in Seoul. Curren retired from the professional tour in 1993.

Curren changed his nationality from South African to American in the mid-1980s. Since retiring from the ATP Tour, Curren has served as Captain of South Africa’s Davis Cup team.